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Light for 4x4 Tent

C

chives

New member
I'm currently trying to decide what light for flowering would be best for a 4x4 tent. Currently running a 600 watt MH/HPS and the temps in the summer are around 79-85 winter a bit less. Looking to change to COB LEDs, CMH, or a DE HPS (run at 600).

Currently im testing out 300w COB LEDs in a 3x3 but not sure i want to drop the money for more LEDs before i can make sure the quality (mostly potency) is on par with my hps. So what im looking for is if anyone has flowered with COBs or CMH and how quality was. Also not sure that 6 feet is enough to use a DE hps or if it is recommended since it seems DE is best when used with multiple lights.
 
C

crazar

New member
I use the p450 Platinum led light. Enjoy it so far. Very new grower tho. I have read that LEDs reduce heat in the tent which is good. There are some good led lights out there. Depends on your budget.
 
G

Guest

I'd like to know the newer options for a 4x4 tent too. I was thinking double ended, but my tent ceiling isn't quite 7'. Doable? What else is on the horizon?
 
C

chives

New member
Just wanted to add that I do not mind spending a lot of money but only if its going to be worth it.

The LEDs I currently have are 2 t2100 w/reflectors from tasty led, but only bought these cause its location needed as little heat and electricity use as possible, though they do still kick out a good amount of heat. As far as the 4x4 i was thinking of ordering a 450 watt unit from bcblondes and using them with the leds I already have.

for CMH i was thinking of buying a 630 fixture(not really sure which to get) and possible using the leds I already have with it but wasn't sure if that would work as I keep them around 16" from the canopy.

As far as DE HPS goes I'm not really sure what to buy but was looking at the 600/750 gavita but wasn't sure if there were better options as far as efficiency, spread, and having a remote ballast.
 
H

HHULKK

Member
in my opinion, from what I've been reading/researching, you cannot go wrong with cmh. I'd suggest running 2 in that bad boy.
 
C

crazar

New member
If you take a look at the platinum XML2 SERIES LIGHTS. Those are what I'd probably run in a 4x4 tent. The p9 being more ideal for your 4x4 setup. They are very thin and you should be able to raise them all the way to the top of your tent (minus a few inches).
 
Muleskinner

Muleskinner

Active member
Veteran
I just made this same decision, but I went with 600w HPS. It worked really well on the first run, best yield ever for me, per gallon of soil in the container. I also tried 2 315w CMH in there, it covered the area well, but you could see the 600w HPS lighting up the lower branches more - it penetrates better. Also I found it a pain in the ass to manage 2 reflectors inside the 4X4, not to mention the cost of 2 cmh bulbs which only last 1 year.

Because I needed a 120v plug I went with the Gavita 600w fixture. It's got the 400v 1190 umol Phililps bulb which lasts 2+ years. That is very close to the efficiency of DE bulbs, within a percent or two.

btw I recently spoke with the people from Urban Gro at a convention. The advise against running 1000w bulbs at 600w. FWIW. I think it wears out the bulb faster and changes the spectrum of the light. I would not go above 600w in a 4X4X6.5 foot tent. I could barely fit my plants under the 600w in there, at 18 inches from the bulb. 750 or 1000 would require more headroom.

you could cut the heat by running one 315w CMH or 400w HPS over a smaller footprint, that would be cheaper than LED. The 315w could replace your veg light too, if you're using a 600w MH now.
 
C

chives

New member
did you run a single ended 600 hps and what are the veg times and yield like? also how was the quality of the buds grown with the cmh? currently im really only looking for a flowering lamp as i veg with t5's and i run my 600w in a 3x3 vertically but am looking to upgrade to a 4x4 as that is as big as the room will allow.
 
PetFlora

PetFlora

Well-known member
ICMag Donor
Veteran
White based light is the truth. Blurple (red/blue) lights are pseudo-science for cannabis. Search HelioSpectra product page where it is explained

Here's 2 plants under an Amare Technologies SE 250 (actual 250w, or more) with ~ 2 weeks to harvest

It's good thing the plant on the left was mostly cola type as the fatty on the right would take over the whole tent.

Bus are tight all the way to the bottom

View attachment 371160 View attachment 371161 View attachment 371162


 
A

Arf

Member
Muleskinner said:
I hear you on the white light - isn't all HID lighting basically white light as well? however the blurple quackery is sold to a lot more people than just canna-growers - most commercial lighting companies sell all sorts of single-color combinations for many different crops. Most are lower lighting intensity than flowering cannabis though.

http://www.pllight.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/HortiLED-Brochure_INTER_07.16.pdf
Click to expand...


HID is by no means white, it's just perceived that way by the human brain. eg. MH is heavy on green, HPS is orange/red.

There are no shortage of great "burple" grow results on this forum, it is by no means quackery. To make a white LED or HID you need to Stoke shift the wavelength lower, that wastes terrific amounts of energy as heat. By using single wavelength LEDs like blue and red, that shift is not required. Just because plants can do something with other wavelengths, doesn't mean they are required for a good grow.

Cree reference light for horticulture takes it half way, it is made out of discrete LEDs at 4000K and 660nm deep red, and it blows away top HIDs for PAR, at just over half the HID power consumption. It's by no means white to look at.

A 4 x 4 tent is going to need about 360W worth of LEDs. The easiest LED solution will probably be 9 x CXB3590 3500K 80CRI in a 3 x 3 matrix equally spaced over the canopy.
 
Muleskinner

Muleskinner

Active member
Veteran
Arf - yes, by "white" I meant a light with a continuous spectrum instead of lights at individual points on the spectrum. HPS has more light at the yellow/orange but it has output at all the other spectral points too, so does MH.

my point about blurple was that it's NOT quackery! Many huge greenhouses around the world are using supplement LED lights of varying spectrums (spectra?).

I'm doing an micro-experiment right now with Phililps 4000K LED bulbs and a Kessil H380 together, similar to your Cree suggestion. It works really well! The plants do fine under just the 4000K LED's, but they perk up noticeably and get darker leaves when the Kessil H380 is added. Same with the other way around, plants under blurple-only seem to benefit when some 4000K LEDs are added.

it's intuitive, plants evolved to grow under a full spectrum 4800K light. They probably benefit from getting light at all points on the specturm, but boosting a few key wavelengths with LED is going to help them.
 
Bmac1

Bmac1

Well-known member
Veteran
I would go with the 630W CMH. Once I get into my new place, I am going to give serious consideration to making the switch to CMH. I just got to figure out the game plan for the new spot.
 
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GanjaplantaSTL

Member
I'm using the same tent size and my opinion i find the 1000w is perfect to make nice buds just need a nice constant flow of good air. what i mean is like new fresh ac air getting forced into the tent with fans inside on the corners and a blower to suck the air from the tent threw a cf and then threw the cool tube light and exiting out the house properly.
 
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